Prishtina, 06 February 2009
The Prime Minister of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, received in a meeting today, a delegation of the European Parliament led by Mr. Joost Lagendijk.
The following is the complete statement by Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi after the meeting:
I had the pleasure to officially accept the Resolution of the European Parliament on Kosovo. We have been working for over a year now to achieve overall successes in Kosovo. I express my deep gratitude and appreciation to the initiators and supporters of a very important process for the independence of Kosovo, the commitment of the European Parliament in support of Kosovo and the invitation by the European Parliament to the countries that have not yet recognized Kosovo’s independence to do so because its independence has brought more peace, stability, regional cooperation and a European perspective.
Supporting the firm position respecting and guaranteeing the full territorial integrity of the Republic of Kosovo is a major and vital issue for our success, along with full support for the work of EULEX, not only to stretch throughout Kosovo’s territory, but also to engage in concrete operation.
The Government of the Republic of Kosovo is also looking forward to addressing the challenges ahead, pointed out in the Resolution. These challenges are also priorities of the Government; good governance, effective transparency, continuation of uncompromised fight against corruption, organized crime, nepotism, our strong commitment to continue building Kosovo as a democratic and multi-ethnic country and the strengthening of Kosovo’s cooperation with all relevant international institutions. We will keep working on the security mechanisms, standing by our affirmative respect for minorities and continuing work on finding practical solutions to their problems.
We will also have other commitments, to soon make Kosovo part of IMF and the World Bank. And this Resolution clearly sets out the strong support of the European Parliament and also our determination that the future of Kosovo is a certain European future of economic development, of job opportunities, social welfare and of respect for democratic requirements.
For his part, the member of the European Parliament, Mr. Joost Lagendijk, leading the European Parliament delegation staying in Kosovo, said the following after meeting with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo:
I am happy to come to Prishtina just one day after the adoption by the European Parliament of the Resolution on Kosovo.
The Resolution conveys two major messages:
– Strong support for the deployment of the EULEX, the biggest EU mission ever seen. The Resolution makes it clear that we want to be involved in the field of customs, police and judiciary and our goal is to have EULEX deployed throughout the entire territory of Kosovo.
Many Euro-Parliamentarians have strongly spoken against any idea of the division of Kosovo, most of the members of the European Parliament are against the idea, and this is pointed out in the Resolution. Full deployment of EULEX throughout the territory of Kosovo ensures that such a division will not happen.
– The second message is a long list of activities that the Government needs to address. These are not easy tasks to tackle and they include; corruption, decentralization, ensuring a steady energy supply, etc.; in an immediate and efficient manner.
This is a long list and we call on the Government to strongly commit to addressing these activities, in order to prove that Kosovars can lead Kosovo because this is what we and the people of Kosovo want. It is the best way to prove skeptics wrong, be they in Belgrade or anywhere else.
I am happy to be here and to bring these important messages.
For us, there is no turning back, Kosovo is and will remain independent. That is why we are here and we will be here until Kosovo becomes a successful country.
Last modified: July 31, 2022